Marco Arment

A lot of it is just like, what are some things that we can cut that the kind of casual, budget, or non-caring user doesn't care about and is unlikely to use or unlikely to miss if it's not there? And so, you know, there's other things like MagSafe charging missing. We'll get to that. Yeah, I think that's weird. But I think if you... What'll be interesting about this phone is...

A lot of it is just like, what are some things that we can cut that the kind of casual, budget, or non-caring user doesn't care about and is unlikely to use or unlikely to miss if it's not there? And so, you know, there's other things like MagSafe charging missing. We'll get to that. Yeah, I think that's weird. But I think if you... What'll be interesting about this phone is...

I think Apple does not yet have a great idea of who is buying this phone because what the SE has been purchased for before, which this is replacing, I know it's not part of the SE family, John, but what this is replacing is a phone line in the SE that was basically, I want to hold on to the old style of phone because I don't want to change. And that has meant in the past, it meant a small phone.

I think Apple does not yet have a great idea of who is buying this phone because what the SE has been purchased for before, which this is replacing, I know it's not part of the SE family, John, but what this is replacing is a phone line in the SE that was basically, I want to hold on to the old style of phone because I don't want to change. And that has meant in the past, it meant a small phone.

It meant touch ID instead of face ID and the home button instead of the swipe up. A lot of people who were buying the SE before were buying it because they wanted to hold on to those old ways of the phone working. This phone looks and works just like all the new phones. It's the same size as all the new phones, roughly. So...

It meant touch ID instead of face ID and the home button instead of the swipe up. A lot of people who were buying the SE before were buying it because they wanted to hold on to those old ways of the phone working. This phone looks and works just like all the new phones. It's the same size as all the new phones, roughly. So...

I don't know that Apple necessarily has a good idea of who's going to buy this. So they're going to find out. And so what we see now is basically for people who want to cut another $100 off the price from their other lowest end option, which is not the 16, but is actually the 15, which is still for sale. The N-1 base model phone, Apple still sells that typically.

I don't know that Apple necessarily has a good idea of who's going to buy this. So they're going to find out. And so what we see now is basically for people who want to cut another $100 off the price from their other lowest end option, which is not the 16, but is actually the 15, which is still for sale. The N-1 base model phone, Apple still sells that typically.

In some markets, they even go N-2, I think. I don't know if they still do that, but they did.

In some markets, they even go N-2, I think. I don't know if they still do that, but they did.

Right. But right now the phone lineup is you have this at the bottom, $600. For $700, you have last year's iPhone 15 model, or like a year and a half ago, iPhone 15 model. Then for $800, you have the new baseline iPhone 16 and so on. So you have every $100, you have these increments.

Right. But right now the phone lineup is you have this at the bottom, $600. For $700, you have last year's iPhone 15 model, or like a year and a half ago, iPhone 15 model. Then for $800, you have the new baseline iPhone 16 and so on. So you have every $100, you have these increments.

So if you look at what else can they cut to hit those price points, okay, they're going to start cutting things, like weird stuff that to nerds like us, we'd be like, I don't know if I'd want a phone without that. Or wow, that would be inconvenient to not have that. Things like MagSafe and maybe ultra-wideband, like this kind of thing. But to an average iPhone buyer...

So if you look at what else can they cut to hit those price points, okay, they're going to start cutting things, like weird stuff that to nerds like us, we'd be like, I don't know if I'd want a phone without that. Or wow, that would be inconvenient to not have that. Things like MagSafe and maybe ultra-wideband, like this kind of thing. But to an average iPhone buyer...

That might not matter, and they might just want, you know, just give me the cheapest phone. But, again, I think in the past, the SE line was the cheapest phone, but it was also the phone that lets me not change my habits from the old ways of Touch ID and Home button. Those buyers are now not being served anymore. So they're going to be forced to make a decision among the whole product line.

That might not matter, and they might just want, you know, just give me the cheapest phone. But, again, I think in the past, the SE line was the cheapest phone, but it was also the phone that lets me not change my habits from the old ways of Touch ID and Home button. Those buyers are now not being served anymore. So they're going to be forced to make a decision among the whole product line.

So the only people who are going to buy the SE are people who want the cheapest current model, which is different. I think it partly overlapped that, but partly not. So we'll see how this all works out. But I think...

So the only people who are going to buy the SE are people who want the cheapest current model, which is different. I think it partly overlapped that, but partly not. So we'll see how this all works out. But I think...

most of what i'm seeing here on like what it has versus what it's missing i think they they're all pretty good decisions and i think this is still i think they're all pretty bad decisions honestly no i don't i don't think so i mean the only thing is that i i think in for many people i think buying last year's you know buying the m minus one model the iphone 15 buying it now for 100 bucks more i think that for for many people that will be the better phone but

most of what i'm seeing here on like what it has versus what it's missing i think they they're all pretty good decisions and i think this is still i think they're all pretty bad decisions honestly no i don't i don't think so i mean the only thing is that i i think in for many people i think buying last year's you know buying the m minus one model the iphone 15 buying it now for 100 bucks more i think that for for many people that will be the better phone but